A witness to a fatal crash held a motorcyclist in her arms as he died just 15 yards from his home, a coroner heard.

Mark Waters broke his spine, pelvis and a number of ribs when he crashed into a car in Owlsmoor, Sandhurst.

He had been due to follow partner Melanie Bowers to her sister's home to drop off his motorbike on January 2, 2015.

The inquest at Reading Coroner's Court on Wednesday, July 20 heard Miss Bowers waited for the 47-year-old for 40 minutes before re-tracing her steps to the couple's home in Yeovil Road.

En-route she came across an ambulance and was told Mr Waters had been killed in a crash with a white Vauxhall Corsa.

Mr Waters had waved his partner off before getting onto his Honda VFR800XD outside his home. Moments later he appeared to lose control and swerve into the path of the Corsa.

Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford heard it was believed the victim was crushed between his motorcycle and the driver's side of the car.

Witness Susan Ravey saw the moment at which Mr Waters was thrown from his bike and tried to resuscitate him before paramedics arrived.

The coroner heard she also protected him from the rain with her cloak and before he asked her to remove his helmet.

I was able to reassure Mark but he died in my arms

She told police: "I was travelling in the family Vauxhall Astra and my husband Harry was driving. It was pouring with rain, the wipers were on full and the visibility was poor.

"Ahead of us was a white car and looking further ahead I became aware of a motorcycle coming towards us.

"The white car was still travelling on the correct side of the road and the motorcycle was in the middle of his lane and going onto the right hand side and slid into the front of the white car.

"It was very sudden and very unexpected. I did have the opportunity to speak to Mark and I was able to reassure him.

"I told him the ambulance and everybody were on their way. It appeared Mark went into a seizure and he died in my arms.

"What I did wasn't good enough."

Mr Waters' father thanked Mrs Ravey for helping his son in his final moments following the crash, at the inquest.

He suggested a number of potholes may have contributed to his son's loss of control of the motorbike but was told by collision investigators no potholes were present.

Mark's priority was safety

Miss Bowers told police her partner's priority was safety when it came to motorbikes.

"Mark and I had spoken about moving our cars and his motorbike to my sister's address. My sister agreed to have them at her home in Frimley.

"It got to 2.10pm and I said 'if we are going to move the motorbike then do it now'. Mark put on all his motorbike stuff as safety was his priority.

"He had been riding motorcycles for four years and he had been on two advanced courses.

"Mark waved us out of the drive and he was going to follow me to my sister's house. I reversed out of the driveway and that was the last time I saw him alive. We waited until 2.45pm but he didn't turn up.

"On the journey back I kept looking for Mark and I saw an ambulance with its blue lights on and I was given the awful news there had been a crash and Mark had been involved."

The inquest heard he died as a result of the multiple injuries sustained in the accident.

I don't know how or why the rider came off his bike

The driver of the Corsa, Gary Jones, said he recalled seeing two cars on Mr Waters' side of the single carriageway.

"I noticed a green car and a black Vauxhall Astra parked up. I saw a motorcycle coming towards me and it came around the black Astra and the rider appeared to lose control as it was sort of sideways coming towards me.

"I went into a state of shock. The paramedic car arrived, the police car arrived and then the ambulance. I don't know how or why the rider came off his bike."

Mr Bedford recorded Mr Waters' death was a result of a road traffic collision.